Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Government benefit programs such as food stamps and Medicaid are important resources for helping people with financial difficulties because even though people have full time jobs; it is difficult to pay the bills of the basic necessities such as rent and utilities if all they are receiving in pay is minimum wage. For example if someone with a full time job is only receiving $800 a month and after paying $500 rent and anywhere from $150-$300 in utilities, that person won’t have any money left over for anything else, such as their phone bill or even food to eat especially if they had a high utility bill. Food stamps helps out because at least the person knows that for sure they will be able to have some food in their household for the month. With Medicaid and Medicare, they won’t have to worry their health. Also Lifeline programs can help someone with a phone for emergencies, if something happened at their child’s school or at their work and the person won’t have to worry about how someone can get ahold of them in an emergency. There is a lot of misconception of people who are receiving these benefits are just lazy and don’t want to work, etc but to me, that is such a small number compared to the rest of the people who are living pay check to pay check and then still not being able to get any food, medicine, or anything else just from paying the few necessary bills to live.

What can we do to improve the effectiveness of these programs?

To improve the effectiveness of these programs, we need to make sure that first we can have enough of a budget from the government to make sure these programs are always there for everyone who needs the help. Another way to improve these programs is making sure the people who really need the help are receiving the help that these programs provide. I feel that it would be a good idea to base their need of help on their income taxes. Also if the person is going back to school and working full-time, they should be able to receive some of these benefits as well because it would help that person get a better future and hopefully one day, that person would be able to turn around and help others they know who are having the same difficulties as they had once had. Another way to improve the effectiveness of these programs, especially the Lifeline type programs, is to merge all of these free cell phone programs into one national program. By doing this, it would make it easier to see what was going on and to see who was receiving the free minutes and phones.

Many people say, “the economy is bad right now.” You hear this sort of statementevery week. Most people do not understand why or how the economy is bad but simply knowthat this means things are financially difficult right now and that money is going to be aproblem for many of us. Then there are people who this sort of statement does not meanmuch to them because even when the economy was good, they were having a difficult time.My family has been having a difficult time since 2005. That was the year that everythingbecame harder for us financially.

These government benefit programs are very important resources for many people and many families including my own. My family includes my mother, my stepfather, my eleven year old sister, my seven year old sister, and me. We are five people and we receive monthly food stamps. Without these food stamps we would not be able to afford food. We currently live with my grandmother and for that reason we have a home to stay in. My parents are both unemployed and have no annual income. Food stamps is an amazing thing for us and we appreciate it so much. I know we are not the only family in this sort of situation, there are millions of others all across this nation. If it was not for these resources like Food Stamps, Medicaid, and Lifeline Assistance Program many families would have to go hungry, unassured, or without a phone to be able to contact people in case of emergencies. These are very important programs and not everyone is as lucky as my family to have other family members who are willing to help. Without these programs, I know for a fact that millions of people would be out on the street just trying to survive. It is thanks to these resources that millions of families have a chance to have a long happy life.

Although these programs and resources are very wonderful and important, sometimes they are not the most effective. One way they can improve is to become more wellknown. Food stamps is known by almost everyone in this nation. People know what it is, whatit can help you with, etc. Medicaid is also very well known but there is a lot of confusionabout it ever since Obamacare came into the picture. Medicaid needs to be explained betterto the public, especially now that health insurance is mandatory. Lifeline Assistance Programon the other hand is not well known at all. If someone was asked about the program theywould probably think it has something to do with elderly people who need assistance not withphone service. The name itself is confusing and people do not know they qualify for it orapply to it because they have no idea what it is. By simply making the programs more wellknown, they will attract people who really need them and overall improve. Another big wayto improve the effectiveness of these programs is for the process not to be complicated orcause confusion and to have workers who know what they are doing. My family has been onfood stamps for some time now and the yearly application process is made very simple.However, there have been times when we have received different information from differentrepresentatives about a problem we may be having. This confusion makes the program veryineffective. By making a simple application process and having workers who know theprogram well and can assists you in what you need, the programs will be extremely effectivein helping the public that needs it.

Government benefit programs are designed to assist people in need, which due to special circumstances are faced with the need to reach out for assistance. Many people in this situation had either lost a job, had a change in their household, have lost a member of the family, are faced with a disability or in many instances, the available income is not enough to support the family.

We are fortunate to live in a country in which the government procures and maintains programs aimed to assist children, the elderly and the less fortunate; in many third world countries, government assistance does not exist. The United States is known in part for their hard-working people; low income and in many cases even middle class people, are composed of families were both parents work full-time and sometimes even work more than one job in order to make ends meet. Unfortunately for some, this income does not cover all the basic necessities and families have to recourse to public aide.

Unfortunately, since the funds for all types of assistance are made possible by tax payer’s money, this creates a conflict for the government because some people feel that helping others less fortunate creates a vicious cycle into which these people feel comfortable receiving the assistance and do not make the extra effort to become economically self-sufficient.

I believe than in most cases people want to be able, not only to cover basic needs on their own, but to provide their families with a decent life, but encounter themselves in situations that seem to be out of their control. For this reason I believe that more can be done. If the income received from a job is not enough to support a family, other strategies need to be evaluated, being the most important the pursuit of higher education.A higher education degree opens new doors and new possibilities. Of course not all professions offer the same type of income, but in the majority of scenarios, a higher education is associated with a higher level of pay, making this an advantage for people who have degrees versus people who have only completed high school. The advantage is not only in the pay grade, but also in securing employment. Most companies with opened positions will likely choose a candidate who has a bachelor or higher degree, versus the candidate who doesn’t have any, even if the position requires a degree or not.

For this reason, I believe government programs designed to assist low-income families, should make an effort to offer higher capacitation and training to participants, maybe not as a condition to receive the benefits, but as an additional benefit for all those who didn’t have the opportunity before, but are now willing to take advantage and work hard and be dedicated, hoping that in a not so far future, they too may become economically independent.

We live in the greatest country in the world, where opportunities are abundant and accessible; therefore, those who wish to get ahead in life will only have to look for what is available to them and what fits their individual needs. It is not easy, but it is achievable, and once one finds its own right path, it is a matter of staying focus and continue walking.